Long long ago, but not so long ago, the quaint city of Madras in the ‘90s (not yet Chennai) housed three unique characters: Madhan, Lekshmi chechi and Archana alias Archie. An inked blotched right hand, Madhan smoked with his left, much to Lekshmi chechi’s irritation. Happy she was, after her Honours in Home Science, at her lush green home in Vadakkencherry (Pallakaad), before she married this uptight man. So what if he a chammatu payyan , he’s always busy and com-blaining about my dosas, she wondered. Archie, the outspoken and popular MCC stud, who worked with Madhan at the Madras Daily was a wonderful storyteller.
‘Thenga Manga Pattani Sundal’, or TMPS for short, was the debut performance of the Triobroma, a collaboration between three artistes to seamlessly blend storytelling with Carnatic and Western music. An accomplished Carnatic singer, a talented storyteller, and a leading guitarist with city-based bands like Grey Shack and IndoSoul — Ranjani Sivakumar, Deeptha Vivekanand and Vikram Vivekanand narrated two folktales of A.K. Ramanujam with a twist, interspersed with different genres of music for each character and scene.
The performance also pays tribute to all things Madras — its food, beaches, diversity, and ability to host and encourage niche culture. Even the song for Madhan’s introduction strikes at the core of any Madras’ 20-year-old, ‘When I wake up in the morning, I need my filter coffee. But my mamma said, son, we gotta get you married.’ The composition of songs were based on the characters of the stories, collectively tuned by the trio. The story follows the lives of these three characters; overall a different and entertaining show. The informal gathering at Kamakshi Mehfil in Kalakshetra Colony swayed with their tunes on a pleasant Sunday evening.
Vocalist Ranjani Sivakumar performing at ‘Thenga Manga Pattani Sundal’
The performance evoked memories of the lazy summer holidays of one’s childhood. Lying down on the grandmother’s lap, listening to the wildly fascinating tales she’d weave as she tried to get the children to eat or comb their hair. “This is a blend of stories that we’ve all heard at some point in our lives. Not only has it been very well presented, but it’s got a lot of relevance in today’s scenario,” says actor and storyteller Janaki Sabesh, who attended the performance. The title manifested itself as a refreshment in the end.
Madras has a fantastic way of creating an audience for everything it takes in. This is a wonderful way to introduce the younger generation to the colours of folklore. “Inside each one of us, there are millions of stories to be told and there are so many songs to be sung. Your story might help someone, your song might heal someone,” said Deeptha looking out into the audience.
The performance will be presented again on June 15 (Rutland Gate Studio, Nungambakkam) and June 16 (Spaces, Besant Nagar) from 6 p.m. onwards.
